Miss Wales 2022: Black rights activist Darcey Corria wins

A 21-year-old black rights campaigner crowned Miss Wales 2022 wants to inspire young women of different ethnicities.

Darcey Corria, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, was announced as the winner at the final in Newport on Sunday evening, cheered on by a coach-load of friends and family.

Growing up, Darcey said she struggled with a lack of representation.

She hopes to encourage girls to "embrace their ethnicity".

Her victory marks many years since a woman of colour was last successful in the competition.

Melanie Jones, who had a white father and black mother, was crowned Miss Wales in 1997.

"I understand the significance and the importance of my crowning moment," Darcey said.

"I think it's extremely important for young women living in Wales who are of mixed ethnicity or black or Asian to feel like they are represented in every aspect of life.

"Young women, especially younger girls, will feel that there is somebody that they can relate to in the media which is something that I really struggled with when I was growing up. I really couldn't relate to anybody."

Darcey, who has a white mother and a father who has Jamaican heritage, has been actively involved in shaping anti-racism legislation in Wales.

She also volunteers for the Race Equality First charity and helps women from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds integrate in to the community through health and fitness.

She is also a regular on marches in Wales calling for zero-tolerance against racism - even taking the lead on microphone to inspire the crowd.

"I was involved in the Black Lives Matter march a couple of years ago. There was a march against racism about three or four months ago and I actually ended up on the mic and really getting everybody rallied and involved in that and that was absolutely amazing, I felt really empowered," she said.

"I think the Miss Wales platform is a great platform and if I can work with the Miss Wales brand, we could really be a force to be reckoned with in terms of tackling racism."

After celebrating her win, Darcey will enjoy a year of appearances in her new role and represent Wales at Miss World.

Paula Abbandonato, director of Miss Wales, said: "I am thrilled for Darcey. I hope her win will inspire other young women of colour from across Wales to know that they are valued and that they are wanted in our competition - and that they can win."

This article was updated on 11 May 2022 in light of new information from the organisers of the event.